HIS System: What Is a HIS System and What Is It For?

Hospital facilities manage a large amount of information that, in most cases, used to be scattered and not immediately available. For this reason, systems have been developed to help manage this information in a way that is useful for decision-making, such as the HIS system. Find out what it is used for and what its main features are below.

A hospital information system, or HIS (Hospital Information System), is one designed to meet the needs of a hospital facility, such as storing, processing, and reinterpreting medical-administrative data. All of this allows for the optimization of human and material resources.

Every HIS system will generate reports depending on the hospital area for which it is required, providing feedback on the quality of healthcare service delivery. It is important to note that its use relies on security measures, generally based on standards such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which ensure the authentication, authorization, and management of user profiles for those who interact with the available data.

Within a hospital, there are several types of information systems. HIS integrates them to achieve the automation of many kinds of transactions and processes. It is important to consider the existence of major system groups, such as:

• Front office. These are systems that support the delivery of healthcare services, focused on the institution's external interactions. 
• Back office. These support the functioning of the hospital's departments, focused on the institution's internal operations. 
• Clinical systems, diagnostic and treatment support. These automatically gather the patient's clinical information and data.

In addition to these, there are several specialized services within a hospital, including: clinical laboratory, pathology, pharmacy, etc. Each of these has information systems that have been optimized to function according to the specific requirements of each area.

Requirements for implementing a HIS system

To implement a HIS system, certain basic elements are required, which will vary depending on the service provider.

1. Intranet and internet communications network.
2. Hardware equipment, depending on infrastructure and financial resources.
3. Base software with which the system will be programmed and operated.
4. Staff training for using the system and its information.
5. Financial funding.

Types of HIS systems

According to their intended functions within the hospital system, HIS systems can be classified into these types:

1.  Administrative HIS. Manages all hospital resources, including human, material, and financial resources.
   
2.  Medical-administrative HIS. Manages the relationship with patients and the data they generate as users of hospital services.
   
3. Clinical HIS. Refers to the patient's state of health or illness, as reflected in the medical record. 

Functions of a HIS system

The main function of a HIS is to manage information regarding a hospital's services and make it accessible to all authorized staff.

Likewise, a HIS is responsible for providing support for activities at various operational and tactical levels within a hospital. For this reason, computers are used to gather, store, process, and communicate clinical-administrative information. 

Other functions of HIS systems include:

• Keeping control of all services provided to patients.
• Obtaining general statistics on patients.
• Obtaining epidemiological data.
• Detailing the cost of care provided to each patient.
• Maintaining a strict electronic medical record.
• Providing patients with access to information in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Giving them the ability to update that information and exercise their right to correct data.
• Improving clinical practice through decision support.
• Supporting teaching and research activities.
• Making the institution's specific plans more efficient.
• Harmonizing scientific-technical information with administrative-accounting information.

Advantages of HIS systems

Once a HIS system has been implemented, the clinic or hospital will benefit in the following ways:

• Retrieval of information on patients and hospital processes is done more effectively, since everything is automated.
• A greater volume of information can be handled while still keeping up with daily tasks.
• All information can be managed in real time.
• Reduced paper use, since recorded information is digitized.
• Better monitoring of supplies, inventory, and medications.
• Ensures the availability of information for decision-making.
•  Minimizes response time to patients, clients, and suppliers.

Traditionally, HIS systems can be integrated with other medical systems designed to increase productivity, generate savings, and improve patient care, such as PACS and RIS systems.

References 

• Conceptos generales HIS. Oficina de inteligencia sanitaria. 
• Sistema de Información Hospitalaria. Sistema Mid.
• Leonardo Yunda Perlaza y Luis Fernando Gómez. Informática Médica: Sistemas de Información y Estándares en Salud: Modelo de Aplicación.